The present invention relates to apparatus for positioning partitions in a container, and more particularly to apparatus adapted to align and straighten intersecting partitions in the container to form compartments to receive articles.
Where a plurality of articles (for example, glass bottles) are to be arranged in a container in a plurality of parallel rows, it is frequently desired to place a protective medium between the individual containers so they will better withstand shipment in the container. Containers to be thus packed are first provided with partitioning devices which divide the interior of the container into a plurality of open-top cells or compartments, each adapted to receive a single article, thereby to protect the article from contact with other articles. The partitioning device commonly employed for the purpose of forming the compartments comprises two intersecting sets of parallel strips of corrugated board or other material, the strips of each set being arranged in parallel spaced relation and held in such relation by means of interengaging notches or slits extending approximately half the width of the strips. As the placement of the partitions in the container must be done rather quickly in an automated packing process and as the corrugated board strips are both flexible and, to a certain degree, resilient, it frequently happens that the partitions forming the article compartments are not in proper place to receive the articles. Even when the partitions are initially placed into the container correctly, during the conveyance of the container from the partition-inserting station to the packing station, the partitions often become misaligned and require straightening prior to packing. Otherwise, as the articles are being inserted through the misaligned partition into the partially closed compartments, they are apt to jam against the edges of the partitions and be prevented from entering their respective compartments. A partition positioning device is frequently used for automatically positioning the yielding partitions (i.e., the walls of the compartments) so that the partitions are aligned and straightened. This insures that the compartments are fully open and there will be no jamming of the articles as the charge of articles is placed in the container.
In unstraightened partition containers, even though the partitions are disarranged in random fashion, there sill exist target areas, that is, areas contained within the unstraightened partitions that are contained by the partitions when straightened. These target areas have been found to be consistently larger for the centermost partitions, thereby making them the easiest to properly position. Once the central compartments are properly positioned, the remaining target areas (for the outer compartments) increase in size, thereby facilitating the proper positioning of the outermost partitions.
The use of partition positioning devices in which the mandrels or plugs are aimed at the target areas (which are normally disposed at or closely adjacent to the center of the straightened compartments) and configured and dimensioned to substantially fully occupy the compartments so as to straighten the partitions defining the same has not proven to be entirely satisfactory. Except in those rare instances where the container has an odd number of compartments on each side (for example, a 3 .times. 3 container), there is no single centermost compartment into which a plug can enter and accordingly a plurality of plugs must be used to enter the plurality of centermost compartments. Accordingly, the initial straightening of the partitions does not occur at the centermost point of the container where straightening would be easiest due to the larger target area. Furthermore, the number of plugs required for the partition positioning device must be equal to the number of compartments to be formed, thereby contributing to the cost of manufacturing the partition positioning device. Finally, as each plug must substantially fill the compartment (or at least a horizontal cross-section thereof) to insure straightening of the partition walls thereof, the plugs must be changed in order to accommodate containers having compartments of different size, thereby increasing the cost of operating the partition positioning device.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a partition positioning device which initially acts directly on the center of the container where the location of the partitions is best known.
Another object is to provide such a device in which the number of plugs required to straighten the compartment walls formed by the partitions is substantially less than the number of compartments to be formed.
A further object is to provide such a device in which the same plug may be used to straighten the partition walls of compartments of various sizes.